NatWest has issued a stark warning to Britons following a number of people receiving a scam email. The consequences of a scam could be devastating, with people losing hard earned savings or having their identity stolen.
As a result, it is important to remain on guard to protect oneself against scams like this one.
Twitter user @sh_abbers said she had received an email request which claimed to be from NatWest, and asked for help.
The email read: “Dear customer, a request to change your mobile number has been received. Your new number 07******385 will be active in 24hrs.
“If you did not make this change, cancel the request immediately.
“A one time passcode will be sent to your previous mobile to authenticate the request.”
The recipient is then prompted to click a link which informs them they will be able to cancel the “mobile update request”.
In a cruelly ironic statement, the scam email adds: “Your account security is our priority.”
However, this is far from the case as the email does not come from NatWest, and instead is part of a scam designed for the specific purpose of catching Britons out.
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Correspondence of this kind is an example of phishing: a scam designed to harvest people’s details.
Sometimes individuals will receive an email which claims to be from a legitimate source like NatWest, asking them to click a link.
However, this is a ruse intended to get people to part with their personal or private information.
If a person were to click the link, it would be likely they would be asked for these details, under the guise of supposedly securing their account.
But scammers are waiting to steal these details to commit identity fraud, or use the information to scam the same person in the future.
NatWest confirmed this email is “definitely not from us”, applauding the customer for recognising the scam.
It urged the saver and those who have received the same or similar message to forward the email to [email protected] for the matter to be investigated further.
The bank has also shared its top tips to help people spot a scam email.
Firstly, NatWest confirmed its emails will always contain “one piece of personally identifiable information” like a partial postcode or name, so customers can identify it is genuine.
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Next, the bank urged people to look out for “careless spelling mistakes or poor grammar” which can be a “big giveaway” of a scam email.
Emails prompting Britons to click a link or open email attachments should always be handled warily, but NatWest will never send a link which takes a person to a page asking for any online banking details.
NatWest also stated scammers often use scare tactics to make people worry so they will act before thinking.
The bank added: “By taking a moment to think whether the email is genuine, you can stop yourself from playing into the fraudsters’ hands.”
Finally, being the winner of a competition one never entered does not happen. NatWest therefore urged people to “not fall” for an unexpected offer of a prize.
Those who have responded to a scam NatWest email or clicked a link are urged to contact the bank immediately on 0800 161 5154.
Individuals can also report scams to Action Fraud or Police Scotland.
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